Slipknot's Corey Taylor To Receive Recovery Award

GRAMMY winner to be honored at Los Angeles benefit promising a "night celebrating recovery and the power of music"

Tim McPhate

MusiCares

Aug 7, 2017 - 10:47 am

GRAMMY.com

As the frontman for Stone Sour and Slipknot, Corey Taylor is known as one of the most energetic performers in hard-rock. The GRAMMY winner will add a special award to his mantle as an honoree at the upcoming Rock to Recovery 2 benefit concert on Sept. 16 in Los Angeles.

Founded by Korn guitarist Wesley Geer in 2012, Rock to Recovery is dedicated to helping "soothe the restless souls of those in recovery." The organization helps bring "fun" into recovery treatment by offering a natural escape in the form of music. Patients work in a "band" setting to write and record songs with Rock to Recovery staff members, who also professional musicians in recovery.

In various interviews, Taylor has been candid about his own struggles with recovery and depression. In 2014 he shared his issues publicly via a moving PSA to raise awareness about depression and suicide prevention.

"There's always light at the end of the tunnel. There's always a way out," said Taylor. "It's all temporary. Pain is temporary. Depression is temporary. You are stronger than you know. You can get through it."

MusiCares, the Recording Academy's health and human services charity, shares a similar mission with Rock to Recovery by assisting musicians in recovery 365 days a year. The annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert raises funds to provide members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment. Sober Jam, another MusiCares program, gives musicians of all ability levels an opportunity to play music with others in recovery.

Aug 3, 2017 – 9:06 am

MusiCares Sober Jam: A Safe Place For Musicians

Tickets are now available for the Rock to Recovery benefit concert. And if you are someone who champions musicians in recovery, consider supporting the mission of MusiCares by making a donation today.

The two musicians dedicate April 16 MusiCares benefit in Los Angeles to two iconic albums and erasing the stigma that blocks getting help for mental health issues

Philip Merrill

MusiCares

Apr 9, 2018 - 12:24 pm

The joy of vinyl originally inspired GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Dave Navarro and fellow guitarist Billy Morrison to conceive of the idea for April 16's Above Ground fundraising concert at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Full-length performances of two iconic albums — Adam And The Ants' Kings Of The Wild Frontier and The Velvet Underground & Nico by Lou Reed's the Velvet Underground, inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008 — will be the highlight of the evening, each with their own setup. Intermission will separate the performances and feature speeches about mental health and a charity auction at to raise "awareness and funds to support mental health."

Chris Chaney of Jane's Addiction, drummer Erik Eldenius, drummer Josh Freese, and violinist Lili Haydn will join the concert's lineup as well as special guests Billy Idol and Courtney Love. Eagles Of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes, Franky Perez and Slipknot's Corey Taylor will also appear.

The event's lineup are joining forces to fight depression, boost mental health awareness and raise funds to provide professional services for members of the music community in need through MusiCares.

"Obviously this is a celebration, but it is a huge responsibility," Navarro told Forbes, thanking friends, fellow musicians and MusiCares for seeing him through "terrible times."

Beyond his personal experience, Navarro hopes to raise general awareness and "on a more public level, let people know that … there is no shame in asking for help. The shameful thing is to shy away from the help. The thing to be proud of is reaching out and doing something to take care of your own life."

Walk-In Dental Clinics Making MusiCares Smiles Brighter

Learn more about how Dr. Archie Bertrand's Walk-In Dental Clinics provide MusiCares patients with the care they need to maintain dental health

Nate Hertweck

MusiCares

Dec 28, 2017 - 3:31 pm

MusiCares provides health and human services to music professionals across the country, but they can't — and don't — do it alone. And when it comes to brightening the smiles of clients who are in need of dental care, MusiCares teams with Nashville-based Walk-In Dental Clinics, run by Dr. Archie Bertrand.

Speaking with Dr. Bertrand for even just a few minutes, it becomes immediately apparent how much he cares about the work he does and the patients he serves.

"It's a privilege for all of us, and it's very much so a privilege for myself," says Bertrand. "I appreciate the confidence that MusiCares has in me to provide care for their clientele."

Walk-In Dental Clinics provides MusiCares clients with the essential dental work they need at little to no cost, a service that exemplifies the MusiCares mission and illustrates the generosity of Dr. Bertrand, who has been leading his team to serve MusiCares clients at his private clinic since 2009.

"About eight or nine years ago, [MusiCares] started sending patients to me at a non-profit clinic, and I found that the clients that were coming to see me were so nice, and I really enjoyed the organization," he says. "Then eventually, I opened up a private practice, and I let [MusiCares] know that, you know if they still need me to take care of their patients, I would be privileged to do so, and they had faith in me."

What exactly do these dental clinics have to offer? Dr. Bertrand says they perform a variety of "extractions, crowns, bridges, we do a bunch of periodontics as far as cleanings and stuff like that, and restorative dentistry," but the most crucial treatment they offer are regular dental checkups, "to head off any potential problems … and keep people's mouths healthy."

According to Bertrand, early detection of any type of dental issue is extremely important.

"If you catch issues ahead of time and prevent someone's tooth from deteriorating or fill some fillings when they're very shallow, it's a lot better than waiting until they're deep or need root canals or crowns, so that’s my credo around here: Catch it early! Come see me every six months."

Serving the music community in this way is not just a duty for the team at Walk-In Clinics, it's also a pleasure.

"I love the musicians, the songwriters, the engineers, I just love their mindset," raves Dr. Bertrand. "They tend to be very good people and I just love the diversity associated with that — all sorts of walks of life coming in and sitting down and talking and getting some healthcare taken care of. I love it."

Dr. Bertrand's parting advice to any music professional on the fence about utilizing the services offered through MusiCares, or any harboring a childhood fear of the dentist into their adult life: "Get in early … it doesn't hurt. So that when you come out [of the dental clinic], you still won't be hurting."

Kosha Dillz Reflects On MusiCares, Warped Tour & Lil Peep

The rapper discusses how MusiCares helped him get sober through the yearly tour and laments how the organization could have helped Lil Peep

Renée Fabian

MusiCares

Nov 22, 2017 - 11:38 am

Following the tragic death of hip-hop artist Lil Peep on Nov. 16 as the result of a drug overdose, former addict and rapper Kosha Dillz — aka Rami Even-Esh — took to Variety to reflect on how the late young rapper could have benefitted from the now-shuttering Warped Tour and the life-saving addiction recovery resources MusiCares provides each year on the tour.

"Warped is where I found my sober community," writes Dillz about the tour, which will officially come to a close in 2019. "Warped Tour's biggest benefit to an artist like me was its affiliation with MusiCares, a Recording Academy-associated recovery force that helps musicians who need to get into rehab as well as helping in other areas concerning health."

Kosha Dillz goes on to recount the story of another music industry employee who struggled with addiction issues and also found help through the MusiCares tent during the annual series of Warped Tours. Eventually, through the support of recovery personnel onsite, she was able to get clean and now works as both a life coach and sober coach.

MusiCares' presence at music events around the country, including Warped Tour, other festivals and awards shows, among many other events, has made a significant impact on the wellness of the music community, whether its musicians who are just beginning their journey to sobriety or, for those like Kosha Dillz, who now have many years of sobriety to their name.

"I wish I could have told Peep my story," Dillz writes. "The therapy comes when one person is helping the next. It doesn't matter what your job is, whether you had a hit song, or how many Instagram followers you have."

The chance to see the 60th GRAMMY Awards in New York City in 2018 will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And now, thanks to an Omaze auction benefitting MusiCares, you too can get in on the action.

May 15, 2017 – 1:50 am

Watch Spike Lee's Star-Studded 'NY Stories' Film

Starting Nov. 7, you can bid on an exclusive 60th GRAMMY Awards VIP package that includes first-class roundtrip airfare for two and accommodations at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. You'll also get two tickets to GRAMMY In The Schools Live! concert, platinum MusiCares Person of the Year tickets honoring Fleetwood Mac with red carpet and rehearsal access for two plus an event gift bag with all sorts of goodies.

Jenn Ross, last year's winner of the Omaze VIP auction, attends the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Tom Petty

And of course, you'll be onsite with the stars for the main event with platinum tickets to the 60th GRAMMY Awards telecast and access to rehearsals in the days leading up to the show, in addition to an exclusive GRAMMY gift bag.

All proceeds raised from the auction with benefit the life-saving health and human services programs of MusiCares, which provides financial assistance and access to medical and addiction recovery services.

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.